Just got brand new Street Twin. Not a speed demon by any means, just what I needed.

First, the things I don't like:

1. Mirrors don't have enough reach to show what's behind me. Will look for bar-ends.

2. Not having tachometer is weird, but mostly psychologically - I shift by feeling anyway.

3. I wish the bike would remember that I want the digital display to show the clock, not the mileage. It forgets after every shutdown.

Things that I like:

1. Subjectively, it just feels amazingly "right". Nothing is off, nothing is distracting, but the bike doesn't disappear either. Perfect compromise between smooth and rough.

2. Torque is amazing.

3. Fueling is very good. No snatchy throttle of the previous year Bonneville. Very smooth start, very quick buildup, no stalling, and no surprises.

4. Suspension is good. It's not world class, but it's very good for city riding. No complains yet.

5. Handling is very good. Very easy to drop into a turn, very stable in the turn. I stopped thinking about it after 15 minutes, and the rest of the day was just riding telepathically. Really, it feels like it reads my mind. The only other bike that felt the same was Ninja 250, a very different tween.

6. The quality is amazing. It just feels like an expensive machine. However, it also feels quite businesslike, not like a garage diva or a parade queen.

7. Gear switching is very satisfactory – not clunky, but reassuringly clicky. Slipper clutch works very well on downshifting, but I still blip the throttle most of the time, it feels gooooood

8. The sound. Oh, the sound. So throaty, so blurpy, but not loud at all. Very impressive engineering here. If I can find the way to ditch the cat converter but keep the stock silencer, I will.

9. Little nice things – for the rare cases when I forget which gear I am in or how much fuel I have left, it’s there. Mysteriously absent tachometer is mysterious.

10. Wheels feel… light? And very solid. I would not want to go back to spoke wheels.

Congratulations! Those are tempting bikes. Sounds like you are enjoying it and it fits you well.
It seems like manufacturers are tucking the mirrors in tighter so only half the mirror is usable unless a person tucks in an arm. while it makes the bike look slimmer they certainly do not work as well.
Thanks for the report!

Yeah, this is not valid without pictures. Thanks though. For the uninitiated, what is a Street Twin and how does it compare to the Bonneville? For your other gripe, I'd imagine you can add a tachometer to this one as you could to the older Bonneville's.

If there's anything I have to complain about my Triumph, it's definitely the digital display and its inability to show you more than one thing at a time. Why can't I see my total odometer while riding? Why can't I see current fuel economy AND trip odometer simultaneously?

But, I do have an analog tach... I guess they omitted it on the Street Twin to clean the cluster up a bit? Who knows...

The difference between the new Triumph Bonneville Street Twin and the previous Bonneville is only one thing: everything. It has a new engine, new chassis, new instruments, new fly-by-wire throttle, new traction control, new yadda, new razzmatazz, and new glafuncles. But sure, it’s hard to see changes on a bike that is an updated retro design that’s equally as retro as the previous retro version. So, the Street Twin’s new is a new that’s supposed to be felt, not seen. You will be able to feel it.

The Street Twin engine is a liquid-cooled, eight-valve, single overhead cam, parallel twin with sleeveless Nikasil-coated cylinders and a 270° crank angle. Plus, it’s now actually 900cc, not 865cc. This new powerplant has redefined performance parameters, with a claimed 55 rather than 67 horsepower, and 59 versus 50 pound-feet of torque. At a glance that might seem odd to give up so much horsepower. But it’s not odd. It may be initially disappointing considering the significant update to the platform, but if it’s higher performance you are after, Triumph will refer you to the new bigger Bonnevilles.

And this:

Quote:

With the Street Twin, its engine to horsepower ratio isn’t a matter of dumbing down a beast. A big twin allows the creation and manipulation of a crafted powerband that’s broad and smooth from bottom to top, making the most of the plateau of torque rather than chasing the peak of horsepower. The omission of a tachometer isn’t for keeping costs down, it’s to make a statement because the specific location of redline just doesn’t matter.

Chasing horsepower is a nervous activity and this bike is designed to be calm. Also, hp is a measure over time and its peak number only exists for an instant at the top-end of a revving journey. Most riders never go there, don’t want to go there, and don’t know why anyone would think of going there. The Street Twin has traction control, and EFI and so its system always knows damn well exactly what rpm the engine is at; but there’s no reason to bother the rider with that information. And, anyway, it’s a soft redline. Initially.

Yeah, this is not valid without pictures. Thanks though. For the uninitiated, what is a Street Twin and how does it compare to the Bonneville? For your other gripe, I'd imagine you can add a tachometer to this one as you could to the older Bonneville's.

One big difference between the Street Twin and the standard '16 Bonnie is engine size. The Street Twin runs a 900cc engine, where the standard Bonnie gets the 1200cc.

The same happens with the Thruxton. There are three flavors. The 900cc Thruxton, the 1200 Thruxton and the 1200 Thruxton R.